Leitrim poet says his animal rights book will make readers face uncomfortable truths

Leitrim-based writer and poet Gerry Boland is set for a busy season ahead, with a new series of creative writing workshops at the Dock in Carrick-on-Shannon and the announcement of a major new book deal with a US publisher.

Boland’s workshops, titled First Draft to Final Draft, will run this autumn at the Dock arts centre. The series is aimed at writers of all levels who want to develop their craft and learn how to take a piece of writing from its earliest idea through to a finished draft.

“It’s about showing people how to shape their ideas, refine their drafts, and build confidence in their writing voice,” Boland explained. Full details of the workshops are available at thedock.ie .

Alongside his teaching, Boland is preparing for the 2027 publication of a unique poetry and photography collection on the theme of animal rights. The book, which has been taken on by Lantern Publishing & Media in New York, will feature 50 poems written in response to 50 photographs — some taken by Boland, but largely sourced from the internationally renowned We Animals Media archive founded by Canadian photojournalist Jo-Anne McArthur.

“I’ve been working on this project for five years and I’m thrilled Lantern has taken it on,” Boland said. “The poems are my personal responses to the images. They are not written as campaigning tools, but as explorations of the issues. My hope is that they will plant a seed of compassion in the reader towards the animals in the photographs.”

Lantern publishing, a not-for-profit press specialising in books on equality, justice and veganism, was a natural fit for the project. Because of its non-profit model, Boland has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help raise funds for production, promotion and distribution.

“This book represents years of work and a deep personal commitment,” he explained. “I want it to reach as many readers as possible, and the support of the community will make that possible.”

Between guiding new writers through their creative process and preparing his own work for an international audience, Boland’s autumn promises to be a busy one.

More information on both the workshops and the book can be found at thedock.ie , Lantern Publishing and Boland’s GoFundMe page .

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